Cast: John Cusack (David), Bobby Coleman (Dennis aka the Martian Child), Amanda Peet (Harlee), Sophie Okonedo (Sophie), Joan Cusack (Liz)
For complete info, see IMDb's Martian Child page.
I didn't really know what to expect from this movie, since Ic try not to watch many previews once I know I want to see a movie and I'll watch anything with John Cusack. I didn't realize that the movie was based on a book, but I've added it to my long list of books I want to read.
Martian Child is a touching story about a boy who believes he's from Mars and the man who adopts him. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, in spite of the one glaring error they made when they made the movie and were trying to give Dennis some more characteristics that set him apart from the typical child. It bothered me throughout the movie that this boy who was extremely intelligent (as they mention and demonstrate several times in the movie) and who thinks he is from Mars (perhaps he is, I won't spoil that for you) would think he needs a weight belt on Earth to hold him down, since the gravitational pull on Earth isn't strong enough. They got the sun part right (he always wore his sunglasses and sunblock and said the sun was too bright), but the last time I checked the reason the Earth has a brighter sun than Mars is that it's closer to the sun. Earth's mass is also greater and when you combine these two things together, they mean that the gravitational pull is stronger on Earth than Mars. If the gravitational pull on Mars were stronger, you'd weigh more on Mars. You weigh more on Mars than you would on the Moon, but you still weigh significantly less on Mars. I know they kicked Pluto out of the planet list, but I'm pretty sure Mars is still closer to the Sun than the Earth.
I definitely recommend renting this movie if you missed it in theatres. It deals very well with the obstacles faced when a child is abandoned and has to cope with foster homes and the idea of being left behind.
Grade: B+
Labels: 2007, Amanda Peet, Bobby Coleman, drama, family, Joan Cusack, John Cusack, movie, sci-fi
Reviewed by Kat at the 9:00 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Morgan Freeman (Frank Carden), John Cusack (Ray Keene), Jamie Anderson (Chris Keene)
For complete info, see IMDb's The Contract page.
The cast of The Contract is great. That's probably why I expected more from this movie. They call it a thriller, but I definitely wouldn't go that far. Perhaps at times it was a bit suspenseful, but it was definitely not a thriller.
I'm glad I only watched this on my computer through Netflix, rather than bothering to even get the disc at home. If you're bored one night and you've watched most of the other things you wanted to see in the Netflix watch instantly section, you might want to watch this. I did finish the movie, so it definitely could have been worse, but I wouldn't recommend The Contract in spite of the cast.
The story was pretty boring and nothing exciting really happened.
Grade: C+
Labels: 2007, crime, drama, John Cusack, Morgan Freeman, movie
Reviewed by Kat at the 8:30 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: John Cusack (Charlie Arglist), Billy Bob Thornton (Vic Cavanaugh), Connie Nielsen (Renata), Lara Phillips (Rusti), Bill Noble (Culligan), Randy Quaid (Bill Guerrard, Oliver Platt (Pete Van Heuten)
For complete info, see IMDb's The Ice Harvest page.
This dark comedy that takes place Christmas Eve is a great way to spend a couple hours on a holiday. A lawyer who's not very bright trying to rip off the mob on Christmas Eve when his partners may have some other ideas... Definitely an enjoyable movie. If you like black comedies, I'd recommend this one. The Ice Harvest has a lot of characters to keep track of, which keeps the story interesting. The cast is amazing, which definitely helps the execution of the story.
Grade: B
Reviewed by Kat at the 12:30 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Diane Lane (Sarah Nolan), John Cusack (Jake), Elizabeth Perkins (Carol), Christopher Plummer (Bill), Dermot Mulroney (Bob), Stockard Channing (Dolly)
For complete cast, see IMDb's Must Love Dogs page.
This is a cute romantic comedy about a woman whose family decides it's time for her to get back to dating and places a personal ad for her without her being aware. There are many hilarious meetings that come out of the ad. Unfortunately, the best of those was given away in the preview, but the movie is still very sweet and well worth watching. The cast is absolutely amazing and I think that really makes this a movie you have to rent if you enjoy romantic comedies.
Grade: B+
Labels: 2005, comedy, Dermot Mulroney, Diane Lane, John Cusack, movie, romance, Stockard Channing
Reviewed by Kat at the 11:00 AM show | 0 screams
Cast: John Cusack (Nicholas Easter), Gene Hackman (Rankin Fitch), Dustin Hoffman (Wendell Rohr), Rachel Weisz (Marlee)
For complete info, see IMDb's Runaway Jury page.
Definitely one of the best adaptations of a John Grisham novel! Runaway Jury, this story about the manipulation of a jury was exciting and entertaining the whole way through even though I had already read the book. My husband (who had not read the book) and I both fully enjoyed this movie. I recommend it to John Grisham fans (you'll be surprised at how well they did with this one) and non-Grisham fans alike. It's a wonderful thriller whether you know his work or not!
Of course, the cast is so amazing that I would have wanted to see this movie even if I didn't already enjoy the story. They do a great job with Grisham's characters. Definitely rent this if you missed it on the big screen!
Grade: B+
Labels: 2003, drama, Dustin Hoffman, John Cusack, John Grisham, movie, Rachel Weisz, thriller
Reviewed by Kat at the 4:45 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: John Cusack (Ed), Ray Liotta (Rhodes), Amanda Peet (Paris)
For complete cast info, see IMDb's Identity page.
I really enjoyed this movie. It was interesting till the end, even though I had figured it out by then. The cast is great and the story twists around enough to keep you wondering why all these strangers have been brought together at this one motel.
John Cusack is always a great actor, but I thought this showcased his talents very well.
Grade: B+
Labels: 2003, Amanda Peet, drama, horror, John Cusack, movie, mystery, thriller
Reviewed by Kat at the 1:00 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: John Cusack (Jonathan Trager), Kate Beckinsale (Sara Thomas), Jeremy Piven (Dean Kansky), Bridget Moynahan (Halley Buchanan)
For complete cast info, see IMDb's Serendipity page.
This story about Serendipity and the way things can work in relationships is really well done. The story is sweet and the acting is amazing. Who doesn't want to believe that anything is possible and that sometimes, just sometimes, love is meant to be? The cast is wonderful, the soundtrack is well done, the movie is well shot and has some beautiful scenes. I definitely recommend checking out this romantic comedy.
Grade: B+
Labels: 2001, comedy, fantasy, John Cusack, Kate Beckinsale, movie, romance
Reviewed by Kat at the 7:50 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Meg Ryan, John Cusack, Kelsey Grammer, Christopher Lloyd, Hank Azaria, Bernadette Peters
For complete cast info, see IMDb's Anastasia page.
I was so looking forward to this movie. They had a great cast (though I'm not a Meg Ryan fan), and the animation looked great. The animation was definitely better than any other non-Disney animated movie I've seen to date. However, that's the end of my praise for the movie.
The story was okay, but it could have been much better done. I'm not sure how they managed to get a G rating for a movie that had an animal being cut to pieces in it. I had been very excited about seeing Anastasia and saw it as soon as it reached our theaters. One of my friend's daughters was really looking forward to the movie, too. As soon as I saw it, I called my friend and told her to distract her daughter with thoughts of other movies and toys and to get her to forget the idea of Anastasia. Her little girl would not have liked this dark (and sometimes gruesome) animated interpretation of the story of Anastasia.
Anastasia had so much potential as an animated movie. I was very disappointed that they seemed to care more about making it dark and gross (and therefore separating it from Disney movies) than they did doing a good job with the story or making a movie that children (or their parents) could fully enjoy.
Grade: C
Labels: 1997, adventure, animated, Bernadette Peters, comedy, drama, family, John Cusack, Meg Ryan, movie
Reviewed by Kat at the 2:15 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: John Cusack (John Kelso), Kevin Spacey (James 'Jim' Williams), Jack Thompson (Sonny Seiler), Irma P. Hall (Minerva)
For complete cast info, see IMDb's Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil page.
I didn't read the book, so I can't compare the two. However, the movie as a stand alone piece is very good. The movie centers around the murder trial of a millionaire in a small town a visiting reporter had befriended. The cast is amazing, and they did a great job telling this story. This is an unusual murder mystery and I really liked that. It seems to take on the personality of the town (Savannah). Some of the quirky characters go a bit too far, or are concentrated on too much, but as a whole, I think this is a very good movie and one that's well worth seeing.
Just sit back and enjoy the town and all the inhabitants' excentricities. Don't expect a straight-forward plot-line and you'll enjoy yourself!
Grade: B+
Labels: 1997, crime, drama, John Cusack, Kevin Spacey, movie, mystery
Reviewed by Kat at the 2:30 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Nicolas Cage (Cameron Poe), John Cusack (U.S. Marshal Vince Larkin), John Malkovich (Cyrus 'The Virus' Grissom), Ving Rhames (Nathan 'Diamond Dog' Jones)
For complete cast info, see IMDb's Con Air page.
With one of the most amazing casts assembled for an action thriller movie, Con Air was a fun summer movie! This story about a guy who's going home to his wife and little girl on a transport full of some of the most dangerous killers in the prison system was very well done. The plot is interesting and the underlying story of a man trying to get home to his family is also good. Unlikely heroes can make for great movies and I definitely recommend seeing Con Air if you somehow missed it. Con Air is one of those movies you can watch again and again and still laugh.
Grade: B+
Labels: 1997, action, crime, John Cusack, John Malkovich, movie, Nicolas Cage, thriller
Reviewed by Kat at the 7:10 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: John Cusack (Martin Q. Blank), Minnie Driver (Debi Newberry), Alan Arkin (Dr. Oatman), Dan Aykroyd (Grocer), Joan Cusack (Marcella)
For complete info, see IMDb's Grosse Pointe Blank page.
A professional assassin's job collides with his ten-year high school reunion... I'm sure you can see what problems that might bring up for Martin. The cast is great, the action is well done, the soundtrack is wonderful, and it's hilrious. What more can one ask for?
Grade: B
Labels: 1997, comedy, crime, Dan Aykroyd, drama, Joan Cusack, John Cusack, Minnie Driver, movie, romance
Reviewed by Kat at the 12:45 PM show | 0 screams